What are You Thankful for on LinkedIn?

5 Things to be Thankful for in LinkedIn’s New(est) User Interface.

I’m being a little proactive here as I STILL DON’T HAVE THE NEW LINKEDIN USER INTERFACE. When I wrote this post I was SURE I would have it by now! (Hint hint LinkedIn!) Nonetheless, because of the way LinkedIn is rolling them out, we are able to see what the new interface looks like for other members, and even make use of the new interface before we get our own! (‘Cause I still don’t have one... I mean – its not like I wrote a book on LinkedIn or anything – oh wait! I did!)

So what do we have to be thankful for with the newest LinkedIn?

Easy to edit!

LinkedIn's new user interface is easier to edit. There's no longer an excuse to have an incomplete profile. Or to leave old and the irrelevant information on your profile. Take the time to get to know LinkedIn's new user interface, and make a few changes that reflect where you are now and where you are going. LinkedIn is about moving forward, not falling back.

Easier to add special sections!

LinkedIn's new user interface also makes it a lot easier to add those special sections that you might not even have seen before. While the “Add Sections” section has been there for the past few years, many people just skip over that link – even though its in bright orange – we still somehow manage to miss it!

But the new user interface encourages us to add things like:

The languages we speak

The volunteer work we do

The licenses and certifications we've achieved

The patents we have won

And for students or jobseekers - the grades we've achieved, and the courses we taken

Not only is it important to add these items to your profile because they differentiate you from everybody else out there, but you can also add more keywords to these sections and that will make your profile more findable.

Remember: where your resume might be the Cliff Notes of your career, your LinkedIn profile can be that engaging novel that draws your next client in.

Shared Interests

Now I know I have already written about this new feature – but it’s absolutely huge! With the new user interface you have the ability to see shared groups, causes and interests with your network. Talk about an awesome tool! The days of cold calling are gone. With shared interests you can see just that – and have the tools on hand to open a conversation with someone. This is absolutely huge!

Connections Search

Also new is the ability to search your connection’s network. So now you can choose the best gateway person to introduce you to exactly the person you need to. It doesn't matter that you don't know their name, you know what they do and you know who can introduce you to them. And then use shared interests mentioned above to start a conversation with them!

Older LinkedIn Features I am Grateful For:

If you read older posts of mine, you'll see there's a common theme of me thinking that you really don't need a paid account on LinkedIn. I've always said that a big enough network makes LinkedIn workable. While I still stand by this, I have to say that the new features and new restrictions make it worth the $24 monthly investment.

Who’s Viewed my Profile? (with new graphs!)

One of the reasons I like the paid account is the ability to see who's viewed my profile in full. As well I've always liked the ability to see how people found me, what keywords they were searching on, as well as the demographics of my network. This is still available in the new user interface, but with new shiny graphs!

Also – I can see how my connection’s network breaks down. Are they the people I should be interacting with? Are they active in the right industries for me; are they active in the right locations or companies? Now we can easily see these statistics on their home page.

If you are not on LinkedIn yet, or haven't been there lately, it's definitely worth a second look.

To apply for the new user interface if you haven't received it yet go to www.LinkedIn.com/sample. And cross your fingers. And practice patience...

And of course- to learn more about the latest and greatest on LinkedIn, join our #LinkedInChat every Tuesday night at 5:00 PM PST, 8 PM EST to chat with us, ask questions, express your own expertise. Lurkers and contributors welcome!

About the Author: Viveka

Viveka is author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day and is known internationally as the “LinkedIn Expert”.CEO of Linked Into Business, she also hosts the biggest LinkedIn chat on Twitter and co-moderates LinkedStrategies, the largest LinkedIn strategy group on LinkedIn.Forbes has listed her as a top social media influencer for three years running, and she has been cited in Ragan, CNN, Forbes, Mashable, Simple Living, Bloomberg, LinkedIn's Small Business Site and "The Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to LinkedIn, The Miami Herald, Social Media Today and The Social Media Examiner!

I don't have one yet too...still waiting for Linkedin to change it. But for me, the most powerful feature is "in common...". So that I know what common we have in order to start a conversation with the person that I want to build connection with.

- Kent

I don't have mine either - maybe paid accounts get them last? I can't believe I don't have one yet. Argh!!!!

- VivekaVonRosen

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